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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Wine Blogging Wednesday #43

Today's WBW theme was chosen by Joel Vincent of Wine Life Today and the theme is "Comfort Wines." Joel asked that we choose a wine, any wine that we love to unwind to and what makes the experience special and relaxing for us.

I had to stop and think about it for a minute because there are so many wines that I love to relax with, but the one wine that kept coming back to me was Waterbrook Melange - - and why is that? I started to think back about the many times I sat down to a glass of Waterbrook Melange and most of the time there was family involved. Many a trip to Spokane with my sister to visit my "kidlets" for the weekend. The routine was this: once settled at my daughter's house on the South Hill, down the block we go to the local market and we hit the wine section. Usually the first wine we saw - - Waterbrook Melange and always at an affordable price. It's always like old home week for us when we see it out of town. It's like our security blanket. Later in the weekend we usually shop at our favorite store in Spokane, Cost Plus World Market and stock up on their fabulous buys of wine, incense, candles, imported soaps, silk pillows, cool kitchen gadgets, imported pastas, spices and chocolates and usually one of the first wines we see and often at a special sale price - - Waterbrook Melange. After a shopping spree and stocking up on Melange, there is hardly any room in the car for us! Looking back, Waterbrook Melange came out at baby showers and christenings, family backyard gatherings and even a family camp-out in Montana - - Melange seems to find it's way to our table.

Waterbrook Melange, produced in the Walla Walla Valley, is a vintage red blend that has been around for almost a decade. Usually a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah; it has a very smooth velvetty style that goes down very easy and yet, not complicated. I don't have to think about this wine, it just makes me relaxed. And it pairs well with a wide variety of foods. It's dense, dark, like a mouth full of chocolate, cherries and dark berries with a long finish of caramel - - like a Rolo candy. And if you care about points, the Wine Spectator has been good to this wine.

Now you might think this seems odd, but everytime I taste Waterbrook Melange it tastes like Autumn in Walla Walla. And don't ask why or what Autumn tastes like, but there must be something about the taste that seems to trigger a special moment or event in that time frame. And perhaps that's it - - when I have a glass of Melange I am finally taking a break and often relaxing with family. Autumn seems to do that to me, it forces me to start slowing down.